


It Means Happiness

by InFamousHero



Series: Second Chances [1]
Category: Borderlands
Genre: Consent Issues, Cyborg Character, F/F, Fix-It, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Recovery, Sharing a Body, Universe Alteration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-03-22
Packaged: 2018-05-28 08:13:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6321829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InFamousHero/pseuds/InFamousHero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity doesn’t meet a horrific end and after the events on Elpis, she goes on to find things that make her happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Means Happiness

**Author's Note:**

> So, I only recently got around to playing the Pre-Sequel. I was really upset and disgusted by what happened to Felicity and that eventually coalesced into this. I just needed to write something nicer.
> 
> I hope others enjoy this too and that I got Felicity sounding like herself.

Waiting for Athena to move was up there as one of the most agonizing moments of Felicity’s life. She stood on the threshold, white-knuckle hands holding her rifle in absolute silence, staring at the constructor’s shell as it lay in wait like a terrible cage.

She didn’t want this. She _didn’t_ want this. All those years of service and not once had she ever directly carried out the violence those aboard the Drakensburg took part in, it was always at a distance. Never something she had to _feel_ as bodies broke under her swings.

She couldn’t do this.

She-

**Gladestone.**

A private message that filtered through her on its way out of Athena’s echo-device. Felicity tried to rein her panic in, she could feel herself destabilizing, connections turning faulty.

Another message from Athena came through. **Can you feign a technical error and keep Jack out?**

Her thoughts froze. Seconds slipped by and she dared not hope or assume what Athena meant by that.

A response came quickly: **I can. Why?**

Athena: **Do it. I’ll explain.**

One long minute later and they were temporarily isolated, sudden ‘scav interference’ locking that unnerving man out of their communication channel. He was annoyed but seemed to buy it before he was cut off.

Athena exhaled, squaring her shoulders.

“What are you doing?” Felicity couldn’t stop herself from asking, cutting Gladstone off as he started to speak.

“The moon doesn’t have time for you to copy yourself. What about you base coding?” Athena asked calmly, striding towards the shell.

Tremulous fear still cycled through her but she could think clearer now, somewhat. It was difficult to keep pressing it down but they didn’t have a lot of time.

Felicity dismissed her wayward thoughts before they could strangle sense from her again. “The baseline would be shorter, but there would be no flexible thinking or intuition. The operating logic would be very clinical, as well.”

Athena nodded shortly, moving around to the back of the shell’s frame. “All right. Gladstone, can we do this without ripping her to shreds?”

He sounded nervous. “Only if Felicity’s willing, I mean, well—if you actively fight it it’ll muck up the installation and damage the data, er, _you_ in the process. But yeah, we can do this. I’ll, uh… I’ll try to make more time.”

Fear wound through her anew but Athena’s firm voice stopped her from slipping into desperate panic again. “Felicity, the moon doesn’t have time. It’ll be destroyed, everyone on it will die including you,” she said. “If we promise to get you out of that thing when the station is ours, will you help us take it back?”

Minutes, they had a _handful_ of minutes at best before Jack grew suspicious and no telling how many left once he was.

The future was supposed to be bright. She was supposed to be free. She didn’t want it all to end here, snatched away by the whim of another cruel man. If she fought this the process would destroy her and she would lose everything, every possibility for something _better_. Even if Jack didn’t force the issue, she was going to die anyway with the moon’s destruction.

Felicity mustered herself as best she could, grasping her fear and locking it tight. She pulled on her frustration, the resentment she’d harboured for _years_ having to act the part of trophy and _entertainment_ to an utterly loathsome bastard.

Anger. She could _use_ anger, just for a little bit, just long enough to get herself through this and out the other side. Then she really would be free.

Finally, she spoke in a much calmer voice than she expected herself too, with all traces of emotional distortion gone. “All right. Plug me in and _keep him out_.”

 

 

> **. . .Two Years Later. . .**

 

The day she heard of Jack’s death was a strange one.

Felicity looked up all she could about it and every detail she dug up left her with an odd, bittersweet sense of satisfaction beneath the morose swell of her memories.

Perhaps it wasn’t _that_ odd, the perfect clarity of Gladstone’s screaming still troubled her. Everything she’d had to do to get to this point still troubled her. The memories were unpleasant but not without their uses, she could push herself with them. It helped to lock up her fears and gave her the resolve to never stand for such atrocities ever again.

It was a strange day. But a good one too, relieving, like a particularly stubborn virus had finally been scrubbed from her system.

Valerie asked if something happened. She’d noticed Felicity wasn’t being her ‘usual chirpy self.’

The mercenary often surprised her with concern. It was easy to forget Valerie wasn’t the gruff persona she exhibited on the job. She almost reminded Felicity of Athena, actually. _Almost._

_“It’s nothing terrible—quite the opposite in fact. I’m just not sure how to feel about it yet, but no need to worry.”_

She didn’t like talking about it, preferring to focus on life now and enjoy her existence. Valerie respected that, never prodding where Felicity made her unwillingness clear.

It was a relieving change of pace, if one she took a while to get used to.

Athena held to her promise, facilitating her escape and enabling her to find other outlets. She slipped into a flying drone and they left Elpis for Pandora, where she and Athena parted ways.

Eventually, she found Valerie defending an old military outpost against a gang of degenerates. The place had been converted into a makeshift village.

Valerie was the only one left fighting. The handful of militia were either dead or too injured to keep going and two dozen civilians cowered in the central structure. She had the bandits coming at her through a choke point, but they were slowly finding other ways in.

Had the outposts defences not been tampered with, Valerie wouldn’t have been in as dire trouble as she was.

Felicity acted quickly, knowing the bandits had no reason to pay attention her, and a deft rerouting of systems brought the defences online. The bastards were soundly defeated and those of them who could fled for their lives, scattering the bloody snow under their boots.

Valerie was grateful when Felicity showed herself and once they got to talking, offered her hand in partnership. It would become quite a literal offer down the line.

The woman had seen battle at it showed. Both of her right limbs had been completely replaced, along with various smaller parts of her body, and both her eyes were cybernetic. She was laced with scars, some of which tapered into her dark red hair. It must have been why she had it shorn down into an undercut, taming what remained of it in a short tail.

She looked so severe but something about the way she acted told Felicity to trust her.

It was the right choice to make.

Valerie was brusque at times but honest, laying out her work clearly so Felicity would know what they were about to get into and silently taking note whenever she expressed discomfort. Valerie actually paid attention and avoided calling on her if the situation was too intense.

It worked well for a time. However, during a particularly hectic job Felicity was nearly smashed, her drone shell damaged and shot out of the air.

After that, Valerie suggested transferring to the various circuitry and components in her body while she made a faster, stealthier drone shell. The cybernetics were solidly made, armoured, shielded, and very complex; they were perfect for supporting Felicity’s existence and keeping her safe.

Valerie had given her no reason to feel uneasy before, so she didn’t take long to accept the offer. Everything else followed after that, easily, like a logic problem she’d solved without thinking.

By the time the stealth drone was designed and built, Felicity felt quite comfortable housed in the cybernetic parts. She could keep track of Valerie’s health and found herself looking up recipes in her spare time, suggesting things to eat based on their nutrition. Valerie was a delightful change of pace, all things considered, and Felicity wanted very much for her to stay in good health for as long as possible.

Valerie just found it amusing. She never commented and just smiled, maybe chuckled quietly, and always ran with the suggestions the next time she cooked a meal. Words weren’t necessarily her strong suit, but she used them when necessary and let her actions speak for her otherwise.

Amongst other things, Felicity also kept watch while Valerie slept. She’d often undock the stealth drone from Valerie’s right arm as a means to explore and scout when she felt it necessary. Most of the time was spent sifting through data, planning their next job or, usually, occupying herself with games.

Thankfully, Valerie had plenty of space in her on-board computer. She woke up several times to discover Felicity had found a handful more games to play, but she was just amused again.

Valerie really did have a lovely smile.

 

* * *

 

 

The message from Athena was curt, business-like. The Crimson Raiders had spared her despite her involvement with Jack and she was moving on, but not before telling them that the Raiders could use people.

Valerie had considered it. She’d even fought with Hyperion multiple times, but never quite found the push. She’d been a part of something before and that left her with half a body less in the end.

They talked about it, weighed their options together, and Felicity convinced her they would be better off in Sanctuary. Strength in numbers and all that.

It didn’t take long for Valerie to pack up her belongings and get them there the next morning. She declared her intentions as soon as they arrived and after a quick but thorough exchange of information and motives they were taken in.

Fighting Hyperion had put a dent in their numbers so there were a few free rooms in the city. Valerie spent the remainder of the day unpacking, with some help on smaller items Felicity could move with her drone.

When night finally fell, Valerie let the room be and walked the city, trying to familiarize with it.

Most of the edges had been walled off, blocked somehow to stop people from falling too easily. Turning into a smear on the landscape just because you had one too many drinks wasn’t exactly helpful. It wouldn’t be a concern with Valerie at least, she didn’t drink and couldn’t stand alcohol most of the time.

She paused near a railing and peered over it, breath leaving her in white trails. Her attention switched to the sky, staring at the streaks of clouds and stars piercing the darkness above.

A chilly breeze carried noise from the local bar, yelling and singing mostly, obnoxious voices more raucous than they ought to be. Felicity temporarily found herself thinking of the Drakensburg and the _scavs_ whenever they got intoxicated. Without fail, it had always brought out their most disgusting aspects and she all but shuddered at the thought.

“What is it?” Valerie murmured.

It surprised Felicity sometimes how adept Valerie had gotten lately at interpreting the _extra_ sensory data that came from having an AI in her systems. She _tried_ not to alter or add to the input Valerie got but that was tricky and by now they’d both grown used to it.

Felicity dismissed the distracting elements to her thoughts and focused on the stars above. “I used to feel so helpless, knowing I could be changed again if I resisted or made something out ‘nothing.’ I was trapped with absolutely repugnant creatures and a pathetic waste of a man, and there were so many times where I wanted to give in. To just _allow_ my resentment and anger to consume me and turn me into something I didn’t want to be.” She sighed deeply, “I already _was_ something I didn’t want to be.”

Even after she escaped from that particularly wretched pit it nearly happened again. Had Athena not acted quickly she would be trapped in that horrible constructor shell. She would have been trapped with _Jack_ as just another ‘Bosun.’

She left it with nothing but a copy of her baseline codes. If a new personality was to grow out of it it would take time, but the process was _just_ quick enough that she and Athena were away before Jack knew any better.

Felicity couldn’t help her feelings of horror whenever they encountered the new constructors. She had come so close to being _nothing_ and the sight of them…

Again she had to order her thoughts. It was done and away with, she never had to worry about any of it ever again.

Instead, she smiled and hoped _that_ particular sensation would come through clearly for Valerie. “Sorry, what I mean to say is that I’m very happy I met you when I did.” Her voice took a melancholic tone, “wandering alone doesn’t hold much appeal when you’re used to being surrounded by people, even if _they_ were terrible. I’m just thankful the company I keep now is infinitely better.”

Valerie chuckled quietly and stepped away from the edge, walking back into Sanctuary with her hands in her pockets. “I’d be dead a dozen times by now if not for you. Glad I could at least provide some stability, darling.”

A lull formed as Valerie walked home.

The terms of endearment had grown more frequent and while she felt an increasing need to address them, somehow, Felicity wasn’t quite sure _how_ she wanted to address them. The words, tone, intention—Valerie’s entire manner was completely different from Jack, ‘Keith’ or any of the parasites that crawled through the broken innards of the Drakensburg.

What passed for compliments or endearing names amongst _them_ just came across as patronizing or more often disgusting in a dozen different ways.

This was an entirely different situation. If she protested, said she was uncomfortable, she knew Valerie would stop right away, no questions or insistence. But she wasn’t uncomfortable.

Felicity took the rest of the walk to ponder this. When they were finally home she concentrated, leaving Valerie to go about her business in silence.

She was just finished getting some strong tea when she turned around and all but _jumped._

Felicity hadn’t intended that and jumped a little herself, awkwardly lifting her hands. “Sorry,” she murmured.

Valerie’s eyes flicked up and down a few times, taking in her projected appearance. It was only because of her cybernetics that she could see it at all, but that was the point and Felicity resisted the urge to shift nervously.

The only person to see her projected like this was _him_. It put an ill feeling through her and she hastily shook it off, ordering her thoughts. This was now, _presently,_ not the past. They were all dead and gone, and she was here with a woman who had shown her truly remarkably consideration. She was safe.

Valerie’s gentle smile was reassurance of that.

 

* * *

 

 

“I’ve been thinking,” Felicity murmured, catching Valerie’s attention. She only hummed in response as she was winding down to sleep.

Felicity wrapped her arms around her knees, watching Valerie shift and settle next to her until she was holding Felicity’s gaze with her eyes half-shut.

She tilted her head. “Well, if something ever happens to your cybernetics I want to make sure you aren’t going to lose me.”

 _That_ made Valerie open her eyes properly even if she stayed quiet. Felicity hunched her shoulders, “there’s hardware I can house myself in that’ll withstand punishment, even direct punishment. It would just be a matter of installing it,” she said, quickly adding, “only if you agreed of course. It’s your body and I’m not interested in pushing the matter.”

Valerie blinked slowly, seeming to digest her words only to close her eyes as if she was set on going to sleep. “I half expected you to talk about backing up your files,” she murmured.

It didn’t feel right. Felicity shook her head, straightening somewhat. “It… wouldn’t be me. Not really. Just another version of me.”

Pure and simple panic was what made her suggest it back then, emotional stress made her systems all but fold in on themselves and made it hard to work through things.

Felicity shook her head again, more resolute. “No.”

Valerie just hummed, accepting the answer. “Fair,” she said. “We can look into getting that hardware tomorrow.”

Surprised rippled through her and Felicity couldn’t find her words quickly enough. Was it really just so easy for Valerie to…?

Those dark grey eyes opened and looked directly at her, and Valerie smiled the same reassuring smile as she always did lately. “Come here?”

The question in her tone was deliberate, an invitation without being a demand.

Felicity smiled and faded from Valerie’s sight. Control of her arm was freely given and Felicity laughed softly, always marvelling at the sensation of warmth, the _touch_ , as Valerie threaded their fingers together. She murmured goodnight and fell quiet, her breathing steadily growing slower and deeper as sleep took over.

It would be a while before Felicity did anything else, simply listening to Valerie breathe and the steady, reassuring beat of a working heart.

Honestly, she had never been more content.

**Author's Note:**

> The more I thought about it the more the entire scene of forcing Felicity into the Constructor just came across as something else entirely, which made it about ten times worse. Not to mention whatever "things" the Bosun got up to while he kept her.
> 
> It just got me feeling very angry at how ultimately unnecessary and cruel her fate was, so excuse me while I sit in this AU bubble and plug my ears.


End file.
